OPD

On Wednesday this week heavily armed FBI and Bay Area police deployed in four East Bay locations, most heavily in West Oakland’s Acorn Housing Projects, where they engaged in multiple simultaneous raids of residences. Neither residents nor local media were given an immediate explanation but at 1:00 A.M. OPD issued a press release. It said that over 120 OPD officers had joined 150 FBI agents from all over the country and the San Leandro, Hayward, and Antioch police departments, and that they had entered residences with warrants and made five arrests, seized four firearms, and confiscated narcotics.

Two items were hotly contested at the 01.22.26, Oakland City Council meeting:

1.) The Council vote to sign a $250,000 contract with former NYPD and LAPD police chief, turned corporate police consultant William Bratton, in hopes of reducing Oakland's homicide and violent crime rate.

2) The Council vote to confirm Rebecca Kaplan's appointment to replace Desley Brooks on the Joint Powers Authority that oversees management of the Oakland Coliseum and Arena.

The only obvious similarities between the two most hotly contested votes at this meeting were that both concerned Oakland city contracting, and, in both cases, District #6 Councilwoman Desley Brooks cast the sole dissenting vote.